The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Well, congratulations to all the parents out there of school-age children - most returned to school last week, only then to be home again for the long weekend.
Anyway, as of tomorrow, there’s a sense the year begins proper now and we can all get on with 2026.
I am no longer a parent of school children, and to be honest I find that a relief. Getting your child educated isn’t always straight forward.
But if I was, I would be pleased with Education Minister Erica Stanford’s announcement this week about changes to reporting a child’s progress in primary and intermediate schools.
As a parent who had to suffer through the pointless student led conference era whereby your child would present you with a curated collection of their recent work - this is welcome news.
Not only did the student led system not provide a parent with any practical information as to how their child was progressing, or what they could do to help, but it replaced valuable one-on-one time a parent could’ve had with a teacher getting those details with something a parent could pop in and do at the beginning or end of the day on their own anyway.
The one thing that was drilled into me as a parent of a new entrant was that we’re all in this together. Your child’s learning success doesn’t just come down to a competent teacher, preferably in a single classroom with adequate teacher aid support - it requires parents to participate in and take responsibility for their child’s education.
But if you don’t have a clear understanding of where your child is at, whether they’re thriving or quietly struggling, and probably more importantly, knowing how you can help them along, then we’re not really all in it together. We’re all just floundering.
These early years are critical for establishing foundational literacy and numeracy skills - if you struggle during these years you’re more likely to continue to struggle.
The use of 5 clear progress markers to describe your child’s learning progress has taken a bit of flak for being, shall we say, a little too sophisticated, but it comes with an explanation of why a progress marker was chosen, so I’m sure parents will get their heads around it.
More importantly, it comes with information for how parents can support the next learning steps, and will be followed up with twice-yearly progress check-ins for students in Years 3-8 which will allow parents to see progress over the year.
None of this is intended to add pressure or judgement on children, or undermine the student voice. But if it provides the better clarity and more detailed reporting on academic achievement that Stanford promises it does, then it’s another step in the right direction to provide students with the support they need to flourish.
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Listen to the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 8 February.
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Today on the Sunday Panel, partner at Freebairn and Hehir lawyers, Liam Hehir, and journalist and TV producer Irene Gardiner joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Is this the year of Winston? How much power does he have in the current election year? Should we worry about him potentially becoming Prime Minister?
It's been a big few days for entertainment - the Grammy Awards took place last Monday and we've got the Super Bowl coming up. Do we mind that more celebrities are using their platforms to get political?
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Meal prepping is viewed as an easy way to stay healthy and get ahead of a busy week - but how can we make the most of it?
A busy schedule is one of the top reasons why people choose quick takeout meals, which are often high in calories and a contributor to expanding waistlines.
Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara revealed how to take advantage of meal prepping.
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Crispy chicken arms with hot sauce
Cook time: 2 minutes
Prep time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2
12 plump free range chicken wings
1 cup red wine
6 tbsp soy sauce
2 cups Panko crumbs
5 tbsp poppy seeds
5 tbsp sunflower oil
1 cup flour
3 eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp water
Salt and black pepper
Mike's hot sauce
1 tbsp sunflower oil
½ red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
400gm diced tomatoes
¼ cup water
4 tbsp soft brown sugar
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt & white pepper
3 fresh red chili, chopped seeds and all
Preheat oven to 180*C (fan-forced). Separate the wings at the first joint. Set aside the first joint of the wings for making stock.
Place the remaining plump wings into a pot with wine and soy sauce. Add just enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, then place chicken wings in fridge to cool. In a large bowl, mix together the Panko crumbs, poppy seeds, oil, salt and pepper. Place flour and eggwash in two other separate bowls. remove skin from chicken and pass through flour, then eggwash, then poppy crumb.
Place on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes. Serve with hot sauce
Mike's hot sauce
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Reduce heat, add tomato paste, cumin and smoked paprika and stir. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir until combined, and cook until slightly thickened (approx. 10 minutes). Taste and adjust salt, pepper and hot sauce if necessary. Blitz until smooth.
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